10 Foolproof Napa Valley Cabernet Tasting Experiences

Sip “the king of grapes” at these accessible stops. 

More than 90 percent of the Napa Valley’s hundreds of wineries produce Cabernet Sauvignon, making the valley a great place to sip “the king of grapes.” Some valley Cab houses are so exclusive they sell their wines on an allotment basis to subscribers and aren’t open to the public even by appointment. Luckily, that still leaves hundreds of wineries large and small where you can sample superb Napa Valley Cabernet. At the accessible stops described below, you can do a straightforward tasting of three to five wines, or go all wonky at deep dives into topics like soil and climate, oak aging, and the differences between valley-floor and mountain fruit.

Walk-ins are welcome at most places listed below, but it’s best to reserve space a day or more ahead.

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Charles Krug Winery

The family of the late Peter Mondavi Sr. operates Charles Krug Winery, which bills itself as the Napa Valley’s oldest operating winery. Founded in 1861 by Charles Krug, a Prussian immigrant, this respected producer with a fascinating history specializes in Bordeaux-style reds. The winery’s 100% Cabernet Sauvignons and blends, many from grapes grown in the St. Helena, Yountville, and Howell Mountain subappellations, are the strong suit, along with Merlot. Charles Krug also makes Sauvignon Blanc and a Carneros Chardonnay, but the reds receive the most attention.

Full Charles Krug Winery review continues here.

Why go: Napa Valley’s oldest operating winery; fascinating history; high-quality Cabernets.

Corison Winery

Cathy Corison, among the modern Napa Valley’s first women owner-winemakers, makes 100% Cabernets that age with increasing elegance. They’re the kind you can’t wait to open because you know they’ll be great, but when you do you feel guilty imagining what another year or two (or five) in the bottle might yield. Corison Winery is best known for three satisfyingly complex yet restrained Cabernets. Its namesake winemaker maintains that conditions in the source Rutherford and St. Helena subappellations are so favorable for bringing Cabernet grapes to proper ripeness that blending in Cabernet Franc, Merlot, or other Bordeaux varietals isn’t necessary. Among the joys of the Corison Library Experience is tasting that consistency, comparing the newest vintage to its older counterparts.

Full Corison Winery review continues here.

Why go:  100% Cabernet wines; relaxed tastings; Corison Library Experience.

HALL St. Helena

With its landscaped grounds, museum-quality art, and glass-walled tasting room, HALL St. Helena captivates with equal parts glamour and whimsy. It’s difficult to miss Lawrence Argent’s 35-foot-tall polished stainless steel rabbit sculpture (Bunny Foo Foo) leaping perkily out of the vineyard that edges St. Helena Highway. Nearby, John Baldessari’s white fiberglass Camel (Albino) Contemplating Needle catches the eyes of guests entering the tasting room. The winery receives high marks from major critics for its Cabernet Sauvignons and Bordeaux-style blends. As a bonus, the Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs of the affiliated WALT Wines label are poured at some tastings.

Full HALL St. Helena review continues here.

Why go: art indoors and out; top-rated wines from numerous appellations.

Joseph Phelps Vineyards

Few wineries transport guests to the state of serenity and unrestrained beauty that Joseph Phelps Vineyards does – and this occurs even before the first sip of the famous Cabernets and Insignia Bordeaux-style blend. As visitors pass under a wood-framed walkway to enjoy a Terrace Tasting, views open up of undulating rows of grapevines, robust oaks, and, west across the valley, the Mayacamas Mountains. The scene is as timelessly bucolic as the line-drawing depiction of it that graced Joseph Phelps labels in the 1970s and 1980s and still does on a few to this day.

Full Joseph Phelps Vineyards review continues here.

Why go: legendary winery; terrace views; consistently superior Cabernet Sauvignon; Insignia blend.

Nickel & Nickel

Nickel & Nickel produces smoothly complex single-vineyard Cabernets using grapes grown in several Napa Valley subappellations. Some of the vineyards are on the valley floor, others on mountain terrain, in soils that vary from volcanic to alluvial. Tastings are offered by appointment only. All focus on top-rated single-vineyard Cabernets, with one exploring how terroir – soil, microclimate, and other factors – affects finished wines. 

Full Nickel & Nickel review continues here.

Why go: genteel tasting experience; exceptional Cabernet.

Quixote Winery

Ringed by olive trees and nestled near the rim of a bowl-shaped valley beneath the Stags Leap Palisades, Quixote Winery’s production facility and tasting space rank among the Napa Valley’s most architecturally significant structures. The only US project of the late Vienna-born artist, architect, philosopher, and environmentalist Friedensreich Hundertwasser, the one-story winery strikes a seriously playful pose with its colorful ceramic tiles and shimmering gold onion dome. Quixote specializes in estate-grown Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah, crafted in the silky, elegant style of consulting winemaker Philippe Melka.

Full Quixote Winery profile from The California Directory of Fine Wineries continues here.

Why go:  Stags Leap Palisades setting; influence of consultant Philippe Melka; architecturally significant winery and tasting room. 

Sequoia Grove Winery

A modest winery producing several single-vineyard Cabernets, Sequoia Grove Winery sits just east of St. Helena Highway in the Rutherford appellation. Redwoods tower over its tasting room, a renovated barn more than a century old. On a hot summer day, the nearby patio, also shaded by the winery’s namesake trees, ranks among the mid-valley’s coolest spots, temperature wise, to relax and sip wine outdoors.

Full Sequoia Grove Winery review continues here.

Why go: Cabernets from Rutherford and other appellations; redwood-shaded outdoor patio; A Taste for Cabernet food pairing.

Silver Oak

Celebrated Silver Oak releases only two wines each year, both primarily Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes for the Napa Valley wine, produced at the Oakville location, come from estate and other sources within the larger appellation. Fruit for the second wine comes from Sonoma County’s Alexander Valley. At tastings, you can ponder the idiosyncrasies of Silver Oak’s approach. The winery uses only American oak for its barrels, not French, unlike many of its counterparts, and after spending at least two years in barrel, the wine ages in bottle for more than a year. The 2021 Napa Valley Cabernet, which received scores in the mid-to-high 90s from leading critics, wasn’t released until February 2026. 

Full Silver Oak review continues here.

Why go: celebrated winery; singular winemaking approach; memorable vertical tasting experience.

St. Supéry Estate Vineyards & Winery

Camphor trees line a driveway bisecting Cabernet and Merlot vines at St. Supéry, established in the 1980s and since 2015 owned by the French luxury brand Chanel. The Rutherford winery hosts tastings at a modern ivy-covered structure and occasionally at an adjacent oak-shaded 1882 Queen Anne Victorian. When the weather’s nice, guests sip wine on an outdoor patio facing courts for playing pétanque, a French game similar to bocce. Robust culinary and espalier gardens producing ingredients for experiences with food complete the bucolic tableau.

Full St. Supéry review continues here.

Why go: valley-floor and mountain Cabernets; focus on wine education; commitment to sustainability.

Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars

The winery Warren Winiarski founded in 1970 merits a pilgrimage for its place in wine history alone. In a blind tasting in 1976 now known as the Judgment of Paris, French wine critics rated the 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon best in its category. The judges scored it ahead of four entries from revered Bordeaux producers and five other California wines. Winiarski’s triumph, coupled with Calistoga-based Chateau Montelena’s win for best Chardonnay, raised the Napa Valley’s profile worldwide. Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars makes separate Cabernets from its adjoining Stag’s Leap Vineyard (S.L.V.) and FAY Vineyard, along with Cask 23, a blend from the two. Both the stone-and-glass hospitality center, where most tastings take place, and two shaded outdoor patios face the craggy Stags Leap Palisades. 

Full Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars review continues here.

Why go: historic operation; wines from fabled vineyards; Palisades view.

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More Napa Valley Cabernet

Bennett Lane Winery
Chappellet Winery
Ehlers Estate
Larkmead Vineyards
Louis M. Martini Winery
Piña Napa Valley
Quixote Winery
Tres Sabores Winery
VGS Chateau Potelle

Napa Valley Itineraries

Downtown Napa in a Day
48 Perfect Hours in Calistoga
3 Historic Napa Valley Wineries Day Trip
3 St. Helena Wineries with a Personal Touch
2 Splendid Days in Walkable Yountville

This story originally appeared online in 2017; it was most recently updated in 2025.